distinct sections within it.” In fact, he says, even the Black Sage Bench has upper and lower sections that have different characteristics and produce wines that are unique and different from each other. The Golden Mile is another unique area within


the OOWA, he added, and another group within the association that markets itself separately. Getting the brand out there is a focus of the new association and new maps and passports for the area are a beginning. The new maps are accurate, Martiniuk noted.


“We don’t have the resources to make a big splash with marketing money, so we need to make wines that taste good. Many of our wineries rely on cellar door sales, so it’s important to us that we bring visitors to the winery,” he said. However, the OOWA only has a part-time staff member so must rely on volunteers, which means they’re expanding the events they put on, but limiting those in the fall when all members are busy with the harvest and fall wine festival. The first Pig Out event for the OOWA was held at Covert Farms as part of the Banee celebrations, but at the beginning of the Spring Okanagan Wine Festival this year, and it was wildly popular. For a second year, the 1/2 Corked Marathon, modelled after the famed Marathon du Medoc held in the Bordeaux region of France, was held at the end of May with a cap at 650 participants and it was sold out in three minutes on Feb. 7.


Both wind their way through well-known vineyards and wineries, with stops along with way to sample fine food and wine. Prizes are for costumes rather than race times. A party wraps up the race, and not everyone finishes the entire course–but they have fun.


WINNING WINERIES


In the South Okanagan, big reds are big. It’s a desert climate so the heat is vital to production of those big flavours, while the cool nights produce crisp whites with good acidity. The Martiniuk vineyard has been around for a long time; the first viniferas were planted in 1983 by Julie and Lanny, but Stoneboat’s first vintage was produced in 2005, a product that involved all three sons as well.


The focus is on pinot varietals and they have been well- received. The 2009 Pinot Noir was selected for a B.C. Lieutenant-Governor’s Award last year while the 2007 Pinotage won in 2009 and the 2006 Pinot Noir in 2008. “We have the benefit of older vines and we’re not being torn by trends,” commented Martiniuk.


Other OOWA members include Black Hills Estate Winery on the Black Sage Bench, with 27 acres of vineyard which is home to the signature Bordeaux-style Nota Bene, one of the country’s most popular wines.


Burrowing Owl is a family winery set amidst 140 acres of vineyards that is known for its great reds, but also offers visitors a guest house, pool and patio, as well as meals at the Sonora Room restaurant.


Cassini Cellars was named the best new winery in 2010 and is also a family-owned operation located in the Golden Mile area.


Castoro de Oro is a family-run winery in the Golden Mile area that sits on vineyards that were first planted in 1980, making it one of the oldest vineyards in the area.


8


JUDIE STEEVES


Staff from Nk’Mip Cellars helped provide food aplenty at Covert Farms for this spring’s very popular Banee Pig Out.


Church and State, on the Black Sage Bench offers tours of the Coyote Bowl vineyard and produces award-winning reds such as its Syrah.


Covert Farms, formerly Dunham and Froese which began in 2005, is operated organically by the Covert family on their 600-acre mixed farm at the foot of McIntyre Bluff. Desert Hills is a family-owned winery with a 24-acre vineyard on the Black Sage Bench, purchased in 1988 by the Toor family and producing award-winning wines such as Syrah and Gamay.


Fairview Cellars is a small farm winery operated by Bill Eggert, who planted the vineyard in 1993 and produced his first commercial vintage in 1997 on the 10-acre property. Gehringer Brothers, operated by Walter and Gordon, along with their father Helmut and his brother Karl, is in the middle of the Golden Mile and is one of the oldest wineries in the Okanagan, established in 1985.


Hester Creek is a 95-acre estate on the Golden Mile with a guest house, winery and scenic grounds as well as vineyards and wineshop, views and snacks.


Hidden Chapel is a quaint family winery whose first vintage was produced in 2010, with operations overlooked by a hidden chapel nestled in the pines at the back of the property. Inniskillin is Canada’s premier icewine producer and has won countless awards for wines such as its Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage as well.


Jackson-Triggs has been named best Canadian winery 21 times, and is one of the most-awarded wineries in Canada with a reputation for producing exceptional quality and value. On the other end of the size scale, Moon Cursor, formerly Twisted Tree, is a family-owned winery on the East Bench that produces award-winning wines from off-beat varietals such as Carmenere.


Nk’Mip Cellars is North America’s first aboriginal-owned and operated winery, dedicated to crafting premium VQA wines from the Osoyoos Indian Band’s 340-acre vineyard, which was first planted in 1968, and offering aboriginal- inspired cuisine at The Patio.


British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Summer 2012


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